The return safely of the people to their home neighbourhoods of origin to resume their everyday life and supporting the development of the private sector are at the heart of United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) approach to reconstruction. Two years after the earthquake of January 12, 2010, over 50% of debris are removed, whose 20% have been recycled, 300,000 temporary jobs have been created and 500 houses coded red have been demolished.

Debris management is a gateway that has so far made it possible to clear more than five million cubic meters from the streets of the capital and Léogâne, through a joint effort of the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications (MTPTC), the municipalities, UNDP, UNOPS, UN-Habitat, International Labour Organization (ILO) and 50 national and international partners.

"we created 300,000 temporary jobs since the January 12, 2010 [...] forty per cent of the temporary jobs have gone to women [...] 90 per cent of the labour force employed in the execution of UNDP projects is Haitian," said last Friday, Rebeca Grynspan, Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), adding that now "efforts are now shifting towards the creation of more sustainable jobs, moving from cash-for-work schemes to cash for production employment," according to this new approach, community members are paid according to the amount of debris they remove, generating a workforce results based that, on average, is more productive and therefore earn more.

Over 20% of this debris has been recycled in the manufacture of non-structural building materials and a part is also used in small urban developments such as squares, sidewalks, stairs or gabion walls.

In parallel, 500 severely damaged houses (red houses) were demolished to prevent them from collapsing and to ensure the safety of the population living in the surrounding area. Debris removal also marked the beginning of neighbourhood revitalisation, which in 2012 will focus on restoring basic services and support for neighbourhood businesses and micro enterprises in order to revitalise the economy.

A complementary project launched by the government and supported by the United Nations has helped over 1,000 families to return home, which contributed to giving the capital its convivial green space and public parks back. The 16/6 project will allow theresidents of six camps to return to their 16 neighbourhoods of origin through housing subsidies over a period of six months. The initiative focuses on improving living and housing conditions and providing economic opportunities in the heart of the neighbourhoods of origin, which are the basic pull factors to encourage the return

Speaking of 2011, Rebeca Grynspan declared "It has been a major challenge since that we know that Haiti still needs a combination of humanitarian support... but slowly the emphasis and allocation of resources is shifting towards recovery and reconstruction."

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-4510-haiti-social-january-2012-relocation-of-displaced-of-champ-de-mars.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-4234-haiti-social-the-place-saint-pierre-is-no-longer-an-idps-camp.html

HL/ HaitiLibre / UNPD